Ben Solomon/For The Star-LedgerJulian Pinnix-Odrick, a rising senior at Montclair High, gave a verbal commitment to play football at Rutgers.

Montclair High defensive end Julian Pinnix-Odrick has given a non-binding verbal commitment to Rutgers, a person with knowledge of his decision confirmed today.

The person requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak on behalf of the player or school.

The 6-5, 265-pound Pinnix-Odrick, recorded 82 tackles and notched 10 sacks in 2010 as a junior. This month, he has participated in two camps on the Rutgers campus.

“It’s everything about Rutgers,” Pinnix-Odrick told Scout.com, who first reported the news. “It’s the perfect place. I love the values of the program. They’ve built the foundation to be successful. I think I can be successful there and I’m ready to help. Everything there is great.”

Pinnix-Odrick, rated as a three-star recruit by Scout.com, plays offensive and defensive line at Montclair but will stay on defense with the Scarlet Knights. He is the younger, half-brother of Miami Dolphins defensive end Jared Odrick, who was an All-American at Penn State in 2010.

"He’s showed me a little about technique, but he helps me more with the mentality of the game,’’ Pinnix-Odrick told The Star-Ledger in December about learning from his half-brother. "He’s told me how I should react to certain things during a game, how I should never underestimate my opponent, how I need to prepare. It’s often the same things everyone else tells me, but it means more coming from someone who’s doing those things now at a high level."

The Nittany Lions were among the numerous schools after Pinnix-Odrick — and reportedly one of his final choices, along with Rutgers.